Southern Africa is home to over 1,200 species of irises, and if that number doesn’t blow you away, hearing Dr. John Manning’s speak about his new species certainly will. In this fascinating episode we are taken on a deep dive into Iridaceae’s stunning pollinator-driven diversity, evolution over millions of years and several continents, and the critical role of herbaria as the backbone of science past, present, and future. “They look static, and they look like dead plant specimens,” John says, “but they represent a great deal of life.”

Dr. John Manning’s Paper, “Moraea saxatilis, a new montane species from the Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa” is in volume 165 of the South African journal of Botany.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2023.12.008

A transcript of this episode can be found here: John Manning - Transcript

New Species: Moraea saxatilis

Episode image courtesy of John Manning

Learn more about the Compton Herbarium here: 

https://www.sanbi.org/biodiversity/foundations/biosystematics-collections/compton-herbarium/

Learn more about the CREW program here: 

https://www.sanbi.org/biodiversity/building-knowledge/biodiversity-monitoring-assessment/custodians-of-rare-and-endangered-wildflowers-crew-programme/

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